Air conditioner units are conventionally utilized to adjust the temperature within structures such as dwellings and office buildings. In particular, one-unit type room air conditioner units may be utilized to adjust the temperature in, for example, a single room or group of rooms of a structure. A typical such air conditioner unit includes an indoor portion and an outdoor portion. The indoor portion is generally located indoors, and the outdoor portion is generally located outdoors. Accordingly, the air conditioner unit generally extends through a wall, window, etc. of the structure.
In the outdoor portion of a conventional air conditioner unit, a compressor that operates a refrigerating cycle is provided. At the back of the outdoor portion, an outdoor heat exchanger connected to the compressor is disposed, and facing the outdoor heat exchanger, an outdoor fan for cooling the outdoor heat exchanger is provided. At the front of the indoor portion of a conventional air conditioner unit, an air inlet is provided, and above the air inlet, an air outlet is provided. A blower fan and a heating unit are additionally provided in the indoor portion. Between the blower fan and heating unit and the air inlet, an indoor heat exchanger connected to the compressor is provided.
When cooling operation starts, the compressor is driven to operate the refrigerating cycle, with the indoor heat exchanger serving as a cold-side evaporator of the refrigerating cycle, and the outdoor heat exchanger as a hot-side condenser. The outdoor heat exchanger is cooled by the outdoor fan to dissipate heat. As the blower fan is driven, the air inside the room flows through the air inlet into the air passage, and the air has its temperature lowered by heat exchange with the indoor heat exchanger, and is then blown into the room through the air outlet. In this way, the room is cooled.
When heating operation starts, the heating unit is operated to raise the temperature of air in the air passage. The air, having had its temperature raised, is blown out through the air outlet into the room to heat the room. The heating unit of a conventional air conditioner unit is typically formed from a ceramic plate or a plurality of coils, which may for example be formed from nichrome. In many known arrangements of air conditioner units, the heating unit is positioned along a transverse direction in front of the blower fan, such that the heating unit is not vertically aligned with the blower fan along the transverse direction. This facilitates removal of the heating unit as required for, for example, maintenance and replacement, by allowing the heating unit to be removed along a vertical direction without being blocked by the blower fan.
However, in some air conditioner units, the heating unit may be blocked from such vertical removal. For example, in air conditioner units which utilize heater coils arranged in one or two columns, the thickness of the overall heater unit may prevent vertical removal due to being blocked by the blower fan. In other words, at least a portion of the heating unit may be vertically aligned with the blower fan along the transverse direction. The conventional approach to removing such heater units is to disassemble a number of components of the air conditioner unit, including the blower fan, to access and remove the heater unit. This is a cumbersome and inefficient approach.
Accordingly, improved air conditioner units are desired. In particular, air conditioner units which facilitate easy and efficient removal and replacement of heating units thereof would be advantageous.